Toronto Blue Jays centre fielder Colby Rasmus (28) runs the bases after he hits a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 2.

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Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Gaby Sanchez (17) receives congratulations from starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) after scoring in the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 2.

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Toronto Blue Jays centre fielder Colby Rasmus (28) receives congratulations from third baseman Juan Francisco (47) after he hits a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 2.

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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Brandon Morrow (23) pitches in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 2.

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Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Sergio Santos (21) walks off the field after losing a game in the bottom of the ninth against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez (24) receives congratulations from first baseman Ike Davis (15) after he hits a two-run home run in the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 2.

Jose Bautista made his first competitive return to Pittsburgh since he was traded to the Blue Jays in 2008 after a falling out with Pirates general manager Neil Huntington and then-manager John Russell.

Sitting in the dugout at PNC Park Friday, it was clear that the emotions of that summer have not entirely been lost in the mist of ancient history.

“After having been (in Pittsburgh) roughly five years and to send me down just three weeks before the rosters expanded was borderline a low blow,” said Bautista. “The message was sent right there by making that move that I did not have a future here.”

After being sent to the minors and put on waivers, Bautista was traded to the Blue Jays for catcher Robinzon Diaz.

“I saw myself as an everyday player who could contribute to a winning ballclub. I had no idea I could hit 50 or 40 home runs. But I knew I could chip in every day and be in the lineup and be an everyday, above-average major-league baseball player.”

Bautista said it didn’t matter where he went. He simply needed a breath of fresh air.

“Immediately I felt like it was going to be a good opportunity,” said Bautista. “I knew I was going through the waiver process and there was a possibility of a trade or something. It was a relief for me because I knew what the perspective was about me here at that time. Going anywhere else was going to be better than staying here.

“That’s just the way things went down. I can’t tell you why it got to that point. It just did. I knew I was going to have a better chance, a better opportunity elsewhere.

His transition in Toronto did not happen overnight and Bautista’s perspective on the swing changes that led to his breakthrough season in 2010, is a window on the business of baseball.

“After '09, a year after I left here, my situation had gotten to the point that I was making too much money to be a backup guy,” he said. “It was either take a pay cut or do something to change. I was more open to some suggestions because of that. As baseball players, we get pretty cocky and confident sometimes, and it’s hard to trust things for the long run. When you don’t see results right away, you abandon the plan. I didn’t have a choice when I was in Toronto. It was either stick to it or get washed out. It was the time of my career to do that.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

Reluctant At Second

Brett Lawrie wasn’t thrilled about moving to second base for Friday’s opener against the Pirates but he understood the rationale.

“It’s just one of those things,” said Lawrie. “I’ve just got to suck it up, grind it out and go do it for the boys. It’s about winning.”

Lawrie may have experience at second but he is, now and forever, a third baseman

“For me, I enjoy playing the game when I’m not thinking,” he said. “Second base you’re worried about double plays, all these different things and I do my best when I’m not thinking at all.

“I’ve done it before so, no excuses, I’ll go out there, play hard and see what happens. I don’t expect that I’ll be Omar Vizquel tonight. That’s not what I’m out there to do. I’m out there trying to make the play when I can.”

Out Of The Blue

Like Bautista, manager John Gibbons has some unpleasant memories of his last visit to Pittsburgh in May of 2008.

After the Blue Jays came in from Milwaukee on a Thursday night, Gibbons was fired at the team hotel on the Friday morning.

“We’re staying at the same hotel as back then,” he said Friday. “I remember walking out of that hotel.”

Gibbons said, for him, the firing came out of the blue

“I had no idea that was going to happen,” he recalled. “Obviously I knew things weren’t going very good but I didn’t expect that.”

Gibbons' entire family had come to Pittsburgh for the series.

“My boys were with me and my wife and daughter drove down from Toronto,” he said. “So, instead of flying home we rented a Suburban and drove across country.”

Blue Jays' Jose Bautista recalls 'low blow' dealt by Pirates

Jose Bautista made his first competitive return to Pittsburgh since he was traded to the Blue Jays in 2008 after a falling out with Pirates general manager Neil Huntington and then-manager John Russell.

Sitting in the dugout at PNC Park Friday, it was clear that the emotions of that summer have not entirely been lost in the mist of ancient history.

“After having been (in Pittsburgh) roughly five years and to send me down just three weeks before the rosters expanded was borderline a low blow,” said Bautista. “The message was sent right there by making that move that I did not have a future here.”

After being sent to the minors and put on waivers, Bautista was traded to the Blue Jays for catcher Robinzon Diaz.

“I saw myself as an everyday player who could contribute to a winning ballclub. I had no idea I could hit 50 or 40 home runs. But I knew I could chip in every day and be in the lineup and be an everyday, above-average major-league baseball player.”

Bautista said it didn’t matter where he went. He simply needed a breath of fresh air.